JOHOR BARU: Having clinched 74 national and international championship titles, a Johor dragon dance troupe is proud to have earned a place in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) for winning the most number of dragon dance championships over the years.
Since the Malaysia Yahya Awal Dragon Dance Troupe was established here five decades ago, it has beaten teams from Malaysia as well as Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, Japan and Scotland.
The troupe’s 39-year-old coach Amos Poh said it won its first national championship title back in 1994 and the teams have been actively competing in local and foreign competitions ever since.
“Among the troupe’s notable achievements is winning the World Hong Kong Luminous Dragon and Lion Dance Championship title three consecutive times in 2012, 2014 and 2016, as the event was organised once every two years.
“This meant a lot to us because at the time, such a major international dragon dance championship was rarely organised.
“As years progressed, more countries are hosting similar competitions now,” he said in an interview.
Poh said the troupe’s latest achievement was winning the national overall championship title in Ipoh on Nov 22-24.
He said the MBOR recognition came just in time for the troupe’s 50th anniversary celebration dinner on Dec 27.
“We felt proud and touched when MBOR’s representative Edwin Yeoh Tiong Chin presented us the certificate in front of our past and present dragon dancers and supporters.
“Many of the troupe’s first generation team members, some of whom are in their 70s now, turned up to witness the occasion and even performed a one-minute dragon dance routine for the crowd,” said Poh, adding that the seniors took about a week to practise for the show.
He said the troupe has produced more than 500 dragon dancers throughout its 50-year history.
It currently has about 150 active members, said Poh, who also started out as a dragon dancer as a Year Five pupil before coaching the team in 2007.
The youngest in the troupe is a Year Three boy who plays the percussion that accompanies the dragon dance, while the oldest is 32.
The troupe recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Taiwan Sport University to provide Malaysian students with opportunities to further their studies in Taiwan for a career in sports, said Poh.
“We hope our achievements and efforts can help quash some of the negative perception the public might have towards dragon dance troupes.
“Dragon dancing not only builds a strong team spirit but also ensures the traditional Chinese culture is passed down from generation to generation,” he said, adding that the troupe’s seven teams perform four to five times each week.
The troupe members are in the midst of preparing for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration next month and an international competition on a cruise trip from Singapore to Thailand in March.“We are also planning to set up our own space for training in future as we are currently training at the Yahya Awal Ang Sian Tai Tee Temple in Taman Molek and SJKC Foon Yew 2,” Poh added.
